This invention relates to a tray rack, and more particularly to a knock-down tray rack.
Tray racks of various types are known in the art, and are used in various institutional and commercial establishments, such as hospitals, hotels, restaurants, bakeries and other institutions for supporting a plurality of vertically spaced trays of food products for storage or transport from one location to another.
One type of conventional tray rack includes a box-like frame, caster wheels fixed to the four bottom corners of the frame, and a plurality of vertically spaced horizontally disposed rails, formed of angle iron, fixed to opposite sides of the frame, and adapted to receive lip-like peripheral flanges on the trays for support and containment of the trays within the confines of the frame.
Another example of a tray rack is disclosed in the prior U.S. Pat. No. 2,959,298, issued to Edker Pope on Nov. 8, 1960. The Pope patent discloses a tray rack in which the side panels have been formed from sheet metal and in which the ledges or rails have been struck out of the sheet metal inwardly to form vertically spaced opposed rails for receiving the trays. The side edges of the sheet metal panels are turned outwardly in the Pope tray rack to form stiffening flanges or supports, the upper ends of which are secured to transverse bars or spreader elements. Although the elements of the Pope tray rack may be assembled and disassembled, nevertheless, they are secured together by numerous bolt connectors. Moreover, the casters are secured by mounting frames which are also bolted to the lower portions of the side flanges.